Workout at Sun Mountain

This was the last day of our long weekend in the Methow. We watched a few of the racers in the Methow Pursuit. Amazing energy and skill. That inspired us to head up to Sun Mountain. The last time Cath and I were skiing there together was more than 15 years ago, with our friends Bruce & Gro (unfortunately I remember that trip for the blisters more than anything!). I was there just last month for the ski camp, of which my memories are still fresh and very positive!
Cath and I parked at the Chickadee lot, and skied the easy trails from there. Warning to newcomers -- the easy trails at Sun Mountain are a bit like the intermediate trails down below on the Methow floor. At least that was our impression. But that was not a problem. After all, this was our fourth day of skiing, and we were no longer worried about little hills! Plus the snow was good (temperature in the teens), and as usual, very few people.
After an hour or two, I decided to try some intermediate hills. So I headed up Thompson Road trail, which was a challenging climb. Got to the intersection with the Upper Inside trail, a black diamond, which near as I could tell, headed straight down. No thanks to that. Instead I turned around and had the ski of a lifetime going down Thompson Road. Highly recommended. Not so steep that you go out of control with your edgeless skate skis, but steep enough that you can really get cruising and have fun with V2. Plus you have the satisfaction of knowing that you really earned that downhill run. I savored every second. Then Cath and I had a nice lunch at Sun Mountain lodge, enjoying the jaw-dropping view. The drive home that afternoon was pretty good - the scenery along the Methow is just beautiful in the winter. We'd been warned the night before by Dave & Jean about the multitudes of deer along the road. They were right - we had one close call when one jumped out in the dusk. I braked hard, it ran, we missed.